Secret Garden
by Muddy Writer
Summary: When Sakuno is having strange dreams about a garden, she doesn't know what it means. Then she has to move to Japan where she meets a familiar boy. Will the truth of her mystery garden ever come out? Please read & review...
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone, this is my first fic. So please do forgive me for its shortness. :-) I'll try to write longer chapters. I would also like to thank luvUnionJack20 for beta-ing this story and a good friend of mine, Danna Deil Echavia, for giving me ideas. I wouldn't be to it without their help. Thank you so much. We'll I hope you enjoy my story.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Prince of Tennis. I own only the plot of this story. :-)

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_**Secret Garden **_

There I was again. I was running happily through the wide, open fields of my secret place. Running and playing with me was a boy who I've never seen before.

Hmmm…I wonder…

* * *

"Miss Sakuno, time for school."

I then woke up from what seemed to be an eternal sleep.

Every night, I was always visited by the same dream. It was as though I knew that place from somewhere.

Well anyways, today is my first day here in Japan and I will be attending Seishun Gakuen. From what I've heard, I think I'm going to love this school! It has many clubs to offer, good education, and many other amenities.

Today I'm also going to meet my best friend and her boyfriend. I'm so excited! From what I've heard, she's been really happy with him and I'm really happy for her.

* * *

Once I arrived at the school, I decided to take a stroll around. I managed to see the gym, the tennis courts, and the vending machines. However, when I walked past the vending machines, I saw something vaguely familiar.

After looking at it for some time, I realized that I've seen this place before! Well, not personally, but I've dreamt about it before. The place was some kind of garden; very similar to the place I usually see in my dreams.

As I was about to go near it, my best friend just popped out of nowhere; surprising me. Next to her (I assume) was her boyfriend.

I must say, he was a rather good-looking person. His hair was colored in a midnight blue, but if one looked close enough, they could see the dark green streaks that highlighted the ends. However, the feature that stood out most to me was his eyes. His eyes resembled that of a cat, ready to pounce any minute.

In the midst of my thought process, I failed to realize myself becoming dizzy. Once I did, everything went black. The last thing I remember was hearing my best friend and her boyfriend calling my name.

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So what do you think? Well I'm open to any of your comment, suggestions and violent reactions. :-) I need all of your ideas to help me in writing. Thank you for reading. :-)


	2. Chapter 2

Hello evryone. This is me again, Cherry Blossom96. So this the second chapter. And I'm asking all of you to please review. PLEASE... I need all of it. :-) Enjoy.

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Secret Garden**_

_Chapter 2_

There I was again. I was running happily through the wide, open fields of my secret place. Running and playing with me was a boy who I've never seen before.

Hmmm…I wonder…

~oOo~

I opened my eyes, but was blinded by a bright light. Where am I? Am I in heaven? Oh no, God has taken me.

Then I saw him- the boy in my dream. No, wait it's…Echizen-san. Is he the boy in my dreams? No it can't be.

"Are you alright? " Ryoma asked.

"Ah, hai." Sakuno said as she blushed ten shades of crimson.

Oh my gosh. I can't understand why I'm acting like this.

Hikari then walked into the room. Hikari and I have been best friends for a long time. I met her in USA. Seeing Hikari enter the room, Ryoma then exited.

"Are you all right Sakuno?" said Hikari.

"Yes. Why am I here?" Sakuno said.

"When you were taking a stroll around the school, we kinda surprised you. Then you just fainted. So we rush you to infirmary. We're sorry." Hikari said with a concerned voice.

"No, no, no. It wasn't your fault. Well I feel good now. By the way, who is that guy? Is he your boyfriend?" Sakuno asked.

"Yup he is Ryoma Echizen, my boyfriend. He is also very good in tennis. Say, you said you really wanted to learn tennis right? Then maybe I could ask Ryoma to teach you." Hikari said.

"H-huh? Oh no, that won't be necessary. You see, I think he is quite a busy man. Asking him to teach me tennis might be a bother. And I think I need to go home now. It is getting late. I think you should go home too." Sakuno said.

"Shall we drive you home?" asked Hikari.

"That won't be necessary. As you can see, I have my grandmother to drive me home. Thanks for the offer though." Sakuno said while smiling.

"Oh, okay. Be careful, 'kay?"

"Yup. Thanks."

Soon after Hikari left, I went to Grandma's office to see if she could drive me home. ~oOo~

I was silent the whole time we were driving home. When we arrived, I just had an urge to ask my grandmother about the dreams that visited me.

"Grandma (Oba-chan), do you know any place here that is like a paradise? I always see it in my dreams. Then there's this boy who I really don't know also appear in my dreams. Grandma, do you know anything about this? It looks as though I've been there before." Sakuno said.

"H-huh? Why no my dear. You know what? I think you should just ignore those dreams. I'm sure that this is just a product of your very imaginative mind." Her grandmother said.

"Well if you say so."

~oOo~

That night again, the dream visited me. Only this time, a boy and a girl was playing hide and seek. They were playing happily. But then, the girl fell; hitting her head on a nearby rock. The boy was shouting the girl's name: SAKUNOOOOO…..

~oOo~

Then I woke up…

Glad it was all just a dream, but I can't help but to be troubled by it. Who is the boy in my dream? Who is he?

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**And I would like to thank:**

**1. luvUnionJack20- for beta-ing this and for leaving a review last chapter.**

**2. HalaBira- for leaving review.**

**Thanks. So once again, please review. :-) Looking forward to it.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

Hello everybody...! Hahaha... so sorry that I updated so late... I was not able to make this chapter for I was so busy with school... Well, i first thank my beta-reader, luvUnionJack20 and to my beloved friend, Danna Deil Echavia, for giving me ideas. Well , I hope you enjoy my 3rd chapter, and please don't forget to leave a review... =)

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_**Secret Garden**_

_**Chapter 3**_

_**CherryBlossom96**_

RRRRRIIIIINNNNGGGG!

"W-what? Oh My Gosh! I'm late for school!"

A groggy-looking Sakuno ran clumsily towards the bathroom to take a shower. She quickly dressed herself into her school uniform and styled her hair into twin braids.

As she rushed downstairs, she found her grandmother preparing a breakfast of waffles and egg for her.

.

"Whaaaaaa! Grandma it looks so good; I can't wait to-"

"Enough chit chat, Saku-chan. Better hurry up or you'll be late!" Her grandmother said powerfully.

"H-hai!"

Keeping her grandmother's words in mind, she quickly sat down and ate her breakfast before bidding her grandmother a good day.

"Grandma, I'm gonna head over to school first. I'll see you at the end of the day!"

~oOo~

"Oi Ryoma! Wake up!"

"Hnmph…"

"Come on you stupid son! You'll be late for school! Don't you care about your future! I mean either way I don't mind; I've got plenty of magazines to share if you prefer to follow in your father's footsteps?" His father hummed rather happily.

"I'm up, I'm up!"

After the morning's perverted incident, Ryoma quickly took a bath and changed into his school uniform. In a few minutes time, he was downstairs and eating his traditional western breakfast. It wasn't quite to his liking, but he needed something in his stomach before school began. Afterwards, he sprinted out the door.

~oOo~

Meanwhile, poor Saku-chan was running towards the academy when she just happened to crash into someone-a rather tall, scary someone.

"I-Itai." She stuttered out.

"Hey, watch where you're going, _Miss_," said a rather masculine tennis player.

"Oh, what do we have here?" He mentioned towards one of his buddies.

"She _is_ quite cute. Maybe we can play with her for a while?" Suggested one of his cronies.

"I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going. If you're not hurt, then I'll be taking my lea-"

Sakuno was cut off as the man grabbed her wrist and began pulling her into secluded area.

"Get your hands off me!" She shouted towards the man.

"Oh no? Why don't you stay for a while with us? We'll show you a good time…"

He has Sakuno pinned to the wall and was about to kiss her when a tennis ball knocked him in the back of the head.

"How about you guys take your hands off her?" Suggested a boy. Sakuno tried twisting her neck to get a good look at the boy and to her surprise it was no one other than Ryoma.

"What are you going to do now boy?" Threatened one of the other men.

Instead of a reply, Ryoma merely took another ball from his bag and flawlessly served it. The fuzzy yellow tennis ball pummeled the man's shoulder causing him to wince in pain. "Leave or I'll serve another one."

Not wanting to injure themselves any further, the man and his cronies walked away. Once out of his sight, Ryoma walked towards Sakuno's side.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I am. Thank you Ryoma-kun." Sakuno replied.

"Come on. We're late for school."

"Hai!"

Both students, already late, rushed towards the academy. Ryoma fiercely held onto Sakuno's wrist the entire way there.

_Why is Ryoma-kun holding to me this tight? I can always run after him, but holding my wrist..._

Sakuno was cut off when Ryoma said that they'd already arrived at the school. However, Ryoma didn't stop there and accompanied her to her classroom.

"Um Ryoma-kun, thank you for everything. Well, I better go inside. You too. You should go to your class."

Ryoma just nodded and walked away with the wave of a hand.


	4. Chapter 4

Hello guys... this is the 4th chapter... thanks for sticking with me... I think this is almost done... hahaha... I'm not even sure... .tsk. Thanks to my beta- luvUnionJack20 and to my beloved friend Danna Deil Echavia... Well, hope you enjoy!

* * *

_**Secret Garden**_

_**Chapter 4 **_

_Why was Ryoma-kun holding my hand so tight? It almost seemed as if he didn't want me to be lost. Ah, I'll come back to that later; I really wanna know what my dreams mean. I'm desperate for answers…_

"Sakuno. Sakuno. SAKUNO!"

Startled, Sakuno snapped her head to the direction of the booming voice-her English teacher.

"H-Hai?"

"Sakuno, this is not the time for daydreaming. You're in English class so it would be in your best interest to pay attention instead of daydreaming. Please read the next paragraph aloud."

Flustered, Sakuno gave a faint hai, which was almost unheard by the teacher and her classmates. When she finally stood up and looked at the book, she realized she had no idea where they were. How helpful…

"Page 26, fourth paragraph." Sakuno heard her classmate, Tomoka, whisper.

"Thank you." Sakuno whispered back and began reading the next paragraph.

~oOo~

!

The ringing of the bell was heard across the school as students began pouring out for lunch. Among these students was Ryoma who figured that his boring class had finally finished and he could go and eat in peace. Students happily went out of their classrooms and into the cafeteria to eat their bentos. The cafeteria was now filled with students noisily eating and chatting about their subjects and other matters.

Sakuno, who was still thinking about how Ryoma holding her wrist and her dream, that she failed to realize where she was walking. She managed to bump into someone causing her to fall face front.

She closed her eyes and was expecting a crash, but when nothing came she opened her eyes and was surprised to find the person who cushioned her fall was none other than the tennis prince.

They were in a very awkward position with Ryoma lying face down and her straddling him on top.

"Would you please stand up? You're very heavy." Ryoma said, while gasping.

Sakuno stood quickly and was very red. She hurriedly apologized to her human cushion.

"I'm so sorry, Ryoma-kun." Sakuno apologized with a bow.

And then they just stood there for a while. During this time, Ryoma noticed Sakuno's long, soft, smooth hair tied in twin braids. He next noticed her face emitting a radiant glow that would mesmerize anyone. Over the years, Sakuno was becoming a very beautiful lady with a very well-shaped body and a very beautiful and mesmerizing face.

Ryoma was then pulled to the past. He remembered a beautiful girl years ago who he always played with in a garden. You could smell the sweet fragrance of the flowers all around and the birds always fluttered around. But that was years ago. Regaining his sense of the present, he noticed Sakuno was still standing there.

"Oi, why are you still here? Aren't you supposed to be taking your lunch?" Ryoma asked.

"Um, I was just wondering if the thing you said before was true? You know the "me-being-heavy" thing?" Sakuno asked.

"Oh that. That's not true. I needed to say something to get you off me." Ryoma replied.

"Oh. Well, thank you Ryoma-kun for this morning and for cushioning my fall." Sakuno said gratefully with another bow.

"Don't mention it." Ryoma said and walked away.

~oOo~

Sakuno continued walking until she reached the cafeteria. It was still full of students eating and chattering happily and noisily.

She found a lone table on the far side of the cafeteria. Thinking that it was unoccupied, she hurried to it, sat down, opened her lunch and proceeded to eating it.

Sakuno heard a sweet "hi" from behind her and spun around to see who it was, only to find that it was Hikari with her lunch.

She invited Hikari to come and eat lunch with her. Hikari agreed with a thanks for sharing the table with her.

"Hey Sakuno, I'm going to a bookstore tomorrow to buy some books. Ryoma's gonna accompany me, but I thought of bringing you too so we can scan the books together. So will you go with us?" Hikari asked.

"Um, wouldn't I be a bother to both of you?" Sakuno asked back.

"Of course not! He even agreed with me when I told him about this. So will you?" Hikari asked.

Sakuno blushed at the thought that Ryoma agreed to bring her. Then she felt something about Ryoma that she couldn't stop.

"Oh, okay." Sakuno said.

"Thank you!" Hikari said with a smile.

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So what do you think? Please leave a review... =)


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes:** This is already beta-ed~!

Thank you so much for reading it and I'm soooo sorry if I post it late...

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Secret Garden**_

_**Chapter 5**_

The next day, during the afternoon, the three of them went to the nearby bookstore.

You can also find there art materials such as pencil crayons, crayons, art papers and more.

As Hikari and Sakuno were scanning for the Math book, Ryoma left to buy them some snacks to eat, for they haven't had their afternoon snack.

~oOo~

"Sakuno, have you noticed where Ryoma went?" Hikari asked when she noticed her boyfriend missing.

"Oh. He went outside to buy food I think." Sakuno replied.

"Can I ask a favor?" Hikari asked again. "Oh, yeah, sure. What is it?" Sakuno said. "Please do tell Ryoma to buy me fries!" Hikari said with a big grin.

"Okay. I'll be right back." Sakuno promised.

~oOo~

While she was left alone, Hikari had time to ponder upon the revelation of Ryoma.

"_Ryoma-kun, please tell me who your first love __is__? I promise I won't get angry. Please!" Hikari asked Ryoma while they were having picnic in the park._

"_Why? Why do you keep on insisting?" Ryoma asked her back._

"_I just want to know your past!" Hikari said in a loud voice, showing that she isn't happy._

_Ryoma, after seeing this, decided to tell her the story of his childhood._

"_There was this girl and I used to play with, in this beautiful garden. I thought we could be like that forever but I was wrong. A day came where she fell off the cliff from the garden. Her grandmother blamed me furiously and I came to the point of blaming myself too. I heard that she lost partially her memories before I came back __here__." Ryoma ended his story._

_Hikari was sort of teary-eyed after hearing the story. Now that her lover told his story of his first love, she was more curious of who that girl was._

"_What's the name of that girl?" Hikari asked._

"_Nah, it's confidential." Ryoma replied while yawning._

"_Ah! I'm your girlfriend. You should tell me everything! Who is it?" Hikari insisted._

_This continued for a while and Ryoma, who cannot take it anymore, told her._

_He moved close to her and whispers the mystery girl's name._

~oOo~

Outside, Sakuno was busy thinking about many things when she saw from the other side of the road, the handsome Ryoma carrying the snacks he bought for them.

His midnight blue hair and cat-like eyes mesmerized her and involuntarily, her legs moved towards him.

She was so absorbed towards him, she did not notice the truck.

The truck approached rapidly; there were only seconds to act to get her out of the way.

~oOo~

Seconds before the speedy truck, he noticed that Sakuno was watching him intently and moved slowly towards him.

As if time froze and all he can see was her, yet, this was cut short for he heard people whispering behind him.

He looked sideways and saw the truck coming.

"HIME!" He shouted.

He pushed Sakuno back to the other side. He heard deafening screams of the people.

~oOo~

Hikari heard a familiar voice screaming the word 'Hime'. Then she saw people rushing outside the bookstore. She also went out to see what the commotion was all about.

"_Oh my God, she was his first love." Hikari thought._

She saw him hugging Sakuno so hard as if he did not want to let go. He also kept saying "I don't want you to be hurt. Please be with me."

Hearing those words was like a thousand knives piercing through her body. It made her jealous.

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^_^... Well, I will still be counting on your reviews... Thank you so much for reading~!


	6. Chapter 6

Well, hope you will enjoy reading this one... And please review... ^_^

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Secret Garden **_

_**Chapter 6**_

Hikari can't still get over to what had happened yesterday. Those images still run through her mind like a broken recorder.

This has caused her to think blankly the whole day. Not even minding when Ryoma told her something.

"Hikari, I have to accompany Sakuno for a while to the racket-stringer." Ryoma said.

This caused Hikari to panic. She did not want them to be alone so she thought of a reason.

"A-ah. But I thought you are going to accompany me home!" She declared.

"Sorry, I can't. Her grandmother, the coach, asked me. I couldn't refuse." He replied.

"Fine! If you want to attend to her first, go ahead!" With this, she stormed out of Ryoma's sight.

She continued walking but with the thought _"He didn't even bother to follow me."_

~oOo~

Both of them were silent while they were walking to the racket-stringer's shop. It took them 20 minutes to reach it.

Sakuno was so thirsty upon reaching the shop. Ryoma noticed it and bought two cans of Ponta, one for her and one for him.

They both cherished every moment of drinking the ice-cold Ponta. After a couple of hours, the work was done.

It was 7:00 PM when they stepped out of the shop. It was a dangerous time, for many unspeakable things happen in the night.

He became more alarmed when he saw a group of gangsters. He slowed down so that Sakuno would be walking by his side.

When they passed the group already, the gangsters looked intently on her. _"This is not good." He thought._

Suddenly, this tall, blond and burly guy took hold of Sakuno's right shoulder and wielded a knife, ready to slit her bare throat.

Feeling Sakuno trembling, he turned around, and as he did, the moon's beams shone upon his handsome face.

He was so alarmed seeing the knife. "Give us all the money you have and this girl will live." the guy demanded.

Ryoma first looked side to side to see if there are any policemen around. Seeing none, he thought of something to escape.

"I'll count 1 to 3; if you don't comply, this girl dies!" This blond guy demanded.

"I won't!" With this, Ryoma released a powerful punch that sent the guy reeling back.

He then pulled Sakuno, urging her to run. They found shelter under the bridge. They paused and rested for a while.

During this time, both admired the beauty of the river that flowed under the bridge.

Ryoma involuntarily hugged Sakuno yet she did not protest. It was although she also felt safe in his strong arms.

"I don't want to let you go anymore. I want to be always by your side and protect you." He whispered.

"What do you mean?" Sakuno asked. Silence only answered her.

"You know what," Sakuno started to share, "I really couldn't recall bits of memories from my past. Although I've been visited by a mysterious dream, I still couldn't get anything from it."

"What was the dream all about?" Ryoma asked.

"It's about a beautiful garden. We were playing then the boy just shouted my name. It seemed that I fell off the cliff. After that, I woke up." She answered.

Guilt spread all over Ryoma's face. Sakuno could sense he knew something somehow.

"What's wrong? Please if you know anything, tell me. You can always share it to me." She said in a sweet voice.

Ryoma took a deep breath and prepared to tell the story he once mentioned to Hikari.

"There was this girl, and I used to play with her in this beautiful garden. I thought we could be like that forever but I was wrong. A day came where she fell off the cliff from the garden. We were playing hide and seek by then and she must not have notice the crevice. She fell and her grandmother was so mad at me and I came to the point of blaming myself too. I heard that she lost partially her memories before I came back here . That means she had forgotten about me." Ryoma said.

"That must have been so sad for you. What is the name of the girl?" Sakuno asked.

"I call her 'Hime' and he calls me 'My Prince'." He replied.

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EEHH~! Is it good? Please tell me...~! Well, see next time~!


	7. Chapter 7

Hello, hello minna-san~! This is the longest chapter I have written so far... This is also not yet beta-ed... But then again... hope you'll still enjoy it... ^_^ One more thing... the italicized words meant they are memories that just came flashing back...

_**

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Secret Garden**_

_**Chapter 7**_

"That must have been so sad for you. What is the name of the girl?" Sakuno asked.

"I call her 'Hime' and he calls me 'My Prince'." He replied.

~oOo~

"_Hime, let's play hide and seek!" said a boy with a midnight blue hair with green highlights. _

"_Hai, Oujisama!" said a girl in a baby blue satin with an organza overlaying it. _

_Its sleeves were adorned with organza flowers with a ballroom ribbon trim adorning the hemline on the bottom half of the dress._

_After a while, a scream was heard from the little girl. The little boy was alarmed and ran to the place where the scream had originated._

"_SA__KUNOOOOO….."_

_Then darkness engulfed her._

~oOo~

Sakuno now realized that it was Ryoma after all. That's why she feels that somewhere, they have met.

She now know that he is there at times when she is in trouble because he feels that he must protect her, to repay what had happened to her the last time.

She looked to the direction of Ryoma. Seeing him so sad made her guilty too. She gave him a pat on the back.

"I'm really sorry about it. If only I protected you, if only I was there you wouldn't fell off of that cliff." He said.

"I love Hikari but it changed when you came back. I came to realize that I would be lying to myself if I wouldn't confess that I love you. But first of all, I hope you have forgiven me from the mistake I have made few years ago." He continued.

"The moment I woke up from the hospital, I felt that I was blessed. I said that I shouldn't waste any time from this second life of mine so I should learn how to forgive and love. Ryoma, I have long forgiven you. I also couldn't keep this but I love you too." She told him.

With this, they shared a long embrace. An embrace that made them feel they are now together.

~oOo~

During the break, the next day, Ryoma slowly approached Hikari. He told her to meet him underneath the sakura tree.

"Good morning, Ryoma-kun! I was so worried about you-" Hikari greeted him cheerfully.

"I want to end our relationship." Came in Ryoma's simple but hurtful statement.

Hikari's smiling face turned instantly into a frown. "But why? Is it because of Sakuno?" She asked as she tried to hold back her escaping tears.

"Hikari, you're such a great person. It's just that I couldn't be with you anymore. I just love her so much." Ryoma replied.

A resounding slap was received by Ryoma. Hikari then turned her back and rushed to the comfort room.

In there, she wiped her tears but since it was still school hours, she immediately fixed herself.

~oOo~

During that night, she cried so much. Her pillows were soaked with her salty tears.

She asked herself "how she can gain him back?" She thought of different ways.

When she finished thinking about it, it made her a little bit satisfied. So she slept. But their sweet memories kept on haunting her even in her sleep.

~oOo~

As Hikari was about to talk to Ryoma about fixing their relationship, she saw both of them already at the canteen.

Ryoma was full of life, his smile reach from ear to ear. He was laughing along with Sakuno and her friends.

She has never seen Ryoma do anything like this before, even when they were still in a relationship.

Nevertheless, she still wants to pursue Ryoma and beg so that they will together again.

~oOo~

"Hey Ryoma!" Hikari called. Ryoma and Sakuno looked in Hikari's direction.

"What do you want?" came in Ryoma's cold voice. "I just want to talk to you." Hikari replied.

"Umm… I think I should go to my classroom now Ryoma-kun." Sakuno said.

"Wait a minute. I'll accompany you there. This will be short I believe." He said while eyeing Hikari.

"But… this is private. I need to speak to you alone." Hikari tried to interfere.

With this, Sakuno decided to go back to her classroom but Ryoma held her hand tightly, showing that she must stay and hear what Hikari has to say.

Seeing this, Hikari said in a small voice, "I want you back. Please come back to me." Then she turned away from blissful couple.

~oOo~

She just couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't stand seeing them happy while she is suffering from a broken heart.

So she had a plot, a terrible plot, a plot that would involve killing the most important person in Ryoma's life: Ryuzaki Sakuno.

~oOo~

The next day, Sakuno received a letter signed from her most beloved prince.

_Dear Sakuno,_

_ Words are not enough for me to tell you how much I love you. That's why I thought we should go to the park and have a picnic there this afternoon._

_ -Ryoma_

She never felt so excited before, she knew the place to well. So she prepared herself for that afternoon, never knowing the evil plot that lies ahead.

~oOo~

As Sakuno was crossing the street, she did not notice a car coming her way.

It was Hikari driving and she was driving full speed She wanted to hit Sakuno and caused her death!

Luckily, Ryoma saw this and was in time to save Sakuno from her untimely death.

Hikari then stepped on her brakes to stop from colliding with Ryoma.

But alas, Ryoma had hit his head, causing him to be unconscious.

"RYOMA-KUN!" Sakuno shouted from the top of her lungs.

He was then brought straight to the hospital. Outside his room was so full of tension. Sakuno was crying rivers of tears but with Tomoka comforting her, his family was very worried. They are all waiting for the results.

Meanwhile, Hikari tried to explain to Ryoma's parents.

"Auntie, I didn't mean to-" Hikari was cut off mid-sentence. "How could you do that Hikari? My God, you almost killed my son!" Rinko said.

"Antie, it was not meant for him! I could never bring harm to Ryoma. You know that!" Hikari replied.

"But still, driving isn't for taking someone else's life! It is for you to travel to many places. And now, what if he never wakes up? What will you do?" Rinko said again.

Now, hot tears were falling on Hikari's rosy cheeks. She never thought of this. It was all meant for Sakuno yet, the one she loves was the victim.

The doctor now came out from Ryoma's room. He was looking for the tennis prince's relatives.

"Are you Ryoma's mother?" said the doctor to Rinko. "Yes, I am doctor. How is he?" Rinko asked.

"Well, he is in very good condition, although he had some bruises in his head. He should be okay though. You can visit him in his room now." The doctor said.

"Thank you, doctor." Rinko replied. She was relieved that nothing serious was going on with her son.

~oOo~

Sakuno and Hikari came together in Ryoma's room. There she found Ryoma half lying in bed.

Hikari was the first one to hug him very tight. "Ryoma-kun, I'm so sorry! I really didn't mean it."

"Uh… so should not be apologizing to me, it should be to Sakuno. She was almost killed for goodness sake Hikari! What were you thinking, huh?" Ryoma said.

"Ryoma, I know it was wrong and I am sorry for it. I could never hurt you." Hikari said.

"But what about Sakuno? She was your best friend! I never thought that you could do that to her!" Ryoma replied.

"But I love you so much Ryoma! I cannot accept the fact that you and my best friend would be together! She knew how much I love you yet she betrayed me!" Hikari now said in a loud voice.

"Oh for goodness sake! Will you please stop it?" Sakuno now interfered.

"Sakuno, you know how much I love Ryoma." She said while facing to Sakuno, "Now Ryoma-kun answer me, do you still love me?" She asked.

Silenced answered her. "If you couldn't answer then let's do this. On the 6th of August, we will each prepare a dinner for you. You must go to the girl you love and the losing girl must accept she lost. Agreed?" She asked.

Sakuno had no choice but to give a faint 'yes'.

~oOo~

Everything was prepared; the place, the decorations, the atmosphere… everything. They really put effort to it. And they were very excited and nervous at the same time for the decision.

Who will it be?

* * *

Minna-san.. are you curious? Hehehehe... watch out for the last chapter...`!


	8. Chapter 8

Minna-san.. this is the last chapter... okay... I have note for you..

1. To give you a clearer picture of the garden, try watching **H2O Just Add Water Season 3 Episode 10 Part 2**... starting at **6:44 - 7:20**... this is exactly how I imagined the garden... ^_^

And I'll say this the last time...

_**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own Prince of Tennis nor any of its characters... Hikari is not also from S.A... the name was suggested to me by my friend Danna Deil...

And I thank you all of you who reviewed... who subscribed to me... who stuck with me till the end... no matter how delayed I post my chapters.. thank you so much for all of your support... because of this, I feel so much belongingness in the world... Thank you to **Danna Deil Echavia** because she gave me initial ideas for the 4 chapters [I think], To my beta-readers, **LuvUnionJack20**, **FlitterFlutterFly** and **Yusuki Mazui**... without them... I don't think I will be able to present you decent chapters.. and to **Michelle Bihag** and **Manasseh Disto**.. because no matter how they kinda joked of the ending.. they still came up with a good one [again.. I think it is a good one] and lastly to **God**. He gave me wisdom to think and type something good... Thank you God~!

I won't delay you any longer... here is the ending... Love lots to all of you and take care everyday~!

_**

* * *

Secret Garden**_

_**Chapter 8**_

Ryoma couldn't keep his anxiety. But, he needs to make a decision. It must be done right away.

So he prepared himself for this decision of his.

He first traveled to the place of Hikari. When he steps out of his car, he saw a nice multi course dinner overlooking the river in a romantic setting.

But of course, he does not want to stay here; there are more important things to do.

"Hikari!" he called out. "Oh Ryoma! You're here! I knew you'll come." She said with a sweet smile.

"Hikari, from this moment, I want to say sorry. I just don't love you anymore as a lover. But don't get me wrong, I like you as a friend, and I hope we will always stay like that." Ryoma said.

"I know… well I couldn't force you anyway. I just couldn't accept the fact that she made you so happy than ever before. I never saw you like that. Well, just do me a favor… "**Never make her cry**". If you do, I'll pursue what I did. Never hesitate to call because I will always be here for the both of you if you ever need me." She said with a chuckle.

~oOo~

"My gosh. What took him so long? It's almost 7:00 o'clock." Sakuno said it with a sigh. "Well, it's not like I want him to choose me…" She thought.

So she waited for a little while, but after that, she couldn't take it anymore. She went to Hikari's place and to her surprise, she saw Ryoma there.

To her shock, she dropped her white silk handkerchief. Ryoma noticed her so he hurriedly said goodbye to Hikari.

"Sakuno! Wait up!" Ryoma called to her.

"I could not believe it. Well, I should accept that fact." She said to herself while crying.

"Why am I crying? I should be happy for them." But she just couldn't stop her tears from falling down.

Ryoma caught up to her and stopped her from running.

"Sakuno, please stop. You got the wrong idea." He said.

"It's okay. You chose her. It's okay." She replied.

"Don't be a fool. I have to show you something tomorrow." He replied.

~oOo~

They traveled to a place only he knows where. When they stepped out of the bus, Sakuno was sure they aren't in the city anymore.

There is green grass everywhere and there is plenty of space which is eco-friendly and has no pollution.

This is the countryside. And where you could really be one with nature.

"Why are we here?" She asked.

"You'll know later. But first let's hike up to that hill." He told her and pointed to the distant hill.

"What? That's far." She replied. "Ah… it's a good exercise. Come on." Ryoma said.

~oOo~

After a while, they finally reached the hill Ryoma pointed. "Now, close your eyes." He said.

Without protesting, she followed what she was told.

Ryoma then inserted a key to the door. What lies behind the door is still unknown to Sakuno. But one thing is for sure, you will feel like you're in heaven.

There were different kinds of flowers with their joyous colors and their sweet-smelling scents.

"I have taken you to a forgotten garden. It has been many years since people have visited it. A very tragic accident happened here of a girl who fell of the cliff. I wasn't able to save that girl but now, I'm very determined to save her, to protect her." He said.

"She was my first and will be my last love. In here, we played, slept as kids and grew up. But fate had been cruel so now, I'm here to recoup what was lost. So Sakuno, let's visit here often and make this our Secret Garden."

With that, they locked their lips for a very sweet and magical kiss.

* * *

WWAAHHH~! The saddest part.. the ending... well... I hope I can write more good stories... This is not beta-ed also... but I'll post it right away if I ever receive it...

Once again, This has been **Cherry Blossom96 **this is her very first fanfic and she is hoping that you will also find your own _**Secret Garden**_...

MMWAAAH~!


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